Efficient and reliable methods and devices for attaching individualized information to a host is a valuable asset in countless environments. Concerts, sporting events and hospitals are just a few examples of environments that require a degree of control over people greater than that found in everyday life. Farms, public display events and animal shelters demonstrate how this need can extend to animals as well. No matter what type of host is present, however, these environments are ubiquitous.
Devices which can carry individualized information on a host typically take the form of a flexible band that is attached to a host with little risk of detachment. A good example of this is the identification (ID) band. ID bands are typically extended over and around a person's hand, head, or foot, and fastened to prevent removal. The ID band permits individualized information to be attached to a person, either by color or a printed or hand-written label. For instance, amusement park attendees with a lower degree of admittance privileges might wear an ID band of one color, while attendees with a higher degree of permitted admittance might wear a different color, thus allowing park operators to manage admittance in an efficient manner. Another example might be a hospital, where each patient wears a band with a label that carries the patient's vital characteristics such as their name, blood type, etc. Hospital administrators can accurately and efficiently identify patients who may be incapacitated or otherwise unable to speak.
ID bands are typically affixed to the hand or foot by the use of a closure device such as a snap or an adhesive. The construction of the ID band will vary according to the type of closure device used. Multiple ID bands are generally manufactured in a single strip that can be stored on a spool. The spool can be fed through a printer to print a label on each band, and then each band can be separated and attached to the host.
Because of a need to track hosts, or to provide increased information, such as medical history of a host, there is a need for ID bands to include electronic circuits. Accordingly, there is also a need for a good manufacturing process of ID bands having circuits.